In a Blink of an Eye
by VampireGirl Avia
Summary: Isabella is engaged to a man that she never met before. On her last night as a free woman, she goes to a masquerade ball. And there she meet this mysterious guy. But who is he and what about her further husband?


In a Blink of an Eye

**Bpov**

The sun was going down very slowly. The sky was turning from blue to black with hints of orange and yellow in between.  
The last day of my freedom was almost over. Tonight was the last night that I was the daughter of Baron Charles George Swan and Renee Jacqueline Dwight. Tomorrow I would be the fiancé of the son of the richest man in the city, Edward Robert Cullen. I, Isabella Maria Christina Swan would be officially engaged.

Most ladies of my age would be thrilled by this new adventure. My best friend Alice Whitlock, wife of sergeant Jasper Whitlock, always told me that I should be excited about my engagement. Apparently it was the most beautiful period in a woman's life. Only I wasn't excited about my upcoming wedding.  
Because I had no idea who this Edward was. I had never met him or caught a glimpse of him. He was a complete stranger in my eyes and that was just the thing. I didn't knew him. Why would I marry a person whom I never had seen or have had a conversation with?

When my parents told me, two weeks ago, that they had giving my hand to the son of Doctor Cullen, I was furious. How could they have done that? We were living the eighteenth century. Arranged marriages were so old and I was totally against it. I had refused to accept this of course but my father didn't want to hear any refusal. I was bound to marry Edward Cullen. He was a good man and a good match. And that was final.

Apparently I was a lucky girl. I had heard from many persons that Edward Cullen was a great match. He was smart, very handsome and had a lot of money. Alice told me that I had to thank the lord for giving Edward as my husband. But I never thanked anyone for this 'miracle'. I didn't love him. I wasn't interested in this man, his money or in this marriage.

I was a young girl of 18. I wasn't ready for this. I wanted to enjoy my life a bit further, without any care in the world. I didn't want to become someone's wife and be trapped all day in a gigantic house, taking care of the kids. I wanted to explore the world and find, when the time was ripe, a man that I would love with every piece of my heart. I wanted to discover that kind of indestructible love that I had read about in my romans. That adoration that allows you to do anything, that love that makes you forget everything the moment that you lay your eyes on him. A lifelong commitment by a simple glance.

"Isabella, stop dreaming and don't look so unhappy. You should be excited, my dear. We are going to a masquerade ball. And tomorrow you will finally meet sir Edward." my mother said while placing my dress right.

"You mean that tonight we are going to the farewell party and tomorrow I will be bound in chains and place my first steps in prison."

"Isabella, that's enough. I will not tolerate such language. You are engaged with Sir Edward. End of discussion. Now put that dark look off your face and smile. I don't want to hear any complains about you. You should be honored."

"Yeah, father. Sure, honored?"

I sighed and looked back outside. The sun was alright gone now and in the distance I could detect some lights. We were almost there. The carriage was making a lot more noise, now that we were riding on gravel. The lights were coming closer and now I could see the massive house that stood before our road.

It was an old, three storey house in renaissance architecture. The front door was huge with a beautiful arch and the balcony above it was supported by two big columns. There were many long windows decorated with many details. It was really beautiful and the garden surrounding the house was also very impressive. Well maintained and decorated with many different flowers and plants. I even saw a pair of dogs running around on the field. I was really impressed. This estate showed a lot of dedication and care. But also without question a lot of money. These people weren't shy to show their financial situation.

The carriage had arrived in front of the entrance and a servant came to open the door. My mother left first, followed by me. I wasn't even 2 seconds out of the carriage of my mother started to replace my dress straight again.

"Mother, just stop it."

"Isabella, don't. You must look good for your fiancé."

"Like he cares." I mumbled under my breath so my parents wouldn't hear me.

Of course I looked good. My mother had bought me this dress especially for this event. It was a long, dark blue dress with a wide skirt and a little trail in the back. It had a deep incision in the front and was very tight around the waist (just let me say one thing: corsets are really painful. I don't recommend it to anyone). Around the collar and at the end of the skirt they had embroider a fine golden ribbon to give it a bit more color and a bit more grace. My hair was loose and I wore a golden mask decorated with some crystals. I had to admit that I looked rather nice but it was a bit over the top. I didn't like this whole dress-up thing. Never liked it and probably never will.

"Come on, Isabella. We shouldn't let the rest wait."

I followed my parents through the big entrance and was led by another servant to the ballroom. Again it was beautiful. The room was beautifully decorated with flowers, white crystal and old paintings that were probably worth a lot of money. The curtains were all open and the full moon was shining stunningly in the black sky.

We were welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Cullen.  
Mister Cullen was a very attractive man in my opinion. He was tall, had blond hair and light blue eyes. He really looked like a very serious yet kind man. And his wife, my further mother-in-law, had one of the most delicate faces I had ever seen. She was rather small, had long, caramel hair that was pinned up in a bun and had brown eyes. But it was her smile that was the most stunning feature of her. Only her smile alone could lighten up a whole room full of depressed men. She greeted me very enthusiastic and wished me a very pleasant evening. She told me also that Edward was somewhere here but I wasn't interested in that kind of information so I simply smiled back and walked away.

I danced with a lot of men. The one more amusing then the other. One man, I think his name was Jacob or something, was rather talkative. He wouldn't stop talking about his estate back in some aria far from here. It was a territory with a lot of trees. That was the only thing that I could remember out of that certain conversation. Well, if you can call it a conversation. He was the only one that talked.  
And another guy, Michael, on the other hand was more busy with his hands then with his mouth. He literally grasped my ass in front of the whole room. Luckily my parents hadn't seen it. I then 'accidentally' stamped on his feet, excused myself and left the dance floor.

I met numerous men. Some had mentioned their name and some hadn't. So I still didn't know who would be my further husband. Maybe I had already met him without even knowing. I took a seat next to the dancefloor and looked at the people dancing. It could be anyone of these men. But who was it?  
Suddenly I heard a smirk next to me and I looked at my right. There stood a young man, dressed in a light blue costume with a simple black mask. I knew this guy. This man had been watching me for a long time now. Ever since I stood on that dance floor, he had have his eyes on me. And now it started to annoy me. So I grabbed all my courage together and walked straight to this guy.

"May I ask you what's so funny, my lord?"

"Oh nothing my lady. I just noticed that you have escaped from all those quite greedy men on the dance floor."

"You have been watching me."

"Yes, I have. It that a crime?"

"No. But I would appreciate it if you would stop. It's just that I don't like being watched."

"Why is that? You are such a beautiful woman. It would be a disgrace if men didn't look at you."

"How would you know? You haven't even seen my face yet."

"I don't need to see your face, my lady. Your eyes speak for themselves. I never have seen such beautiful eyes in my entire life. Such wonderful pearls of deep, rich chocolate. Absolutely magnificent."

I blushed with this compliment. I wasn't used to hear such things and didn't know how to react on such words. So I just smiled back at my mysterious charmer and looked back in his eyes. They were this unbelievable bright green color. A shade that I had never seen before. It had captivated me in an instead. Gone was the frustration and I welcomed this strange but heavenly feeling inside my stomach.

"Well, now that I have the chance. May I have this dance of you?" he asked while taking a bow and holding his hand in front of me.

"I would be my pleasure, my lord."

I placed my hand in his and that was the most perfect picture that I could image. He guided me to the middle of the floor and placed his hands safely on my back. I in return placed my arms around his neck and we started to dance on the rhythm of the music. The whole time we didn't lose eye contact and this trance between us remained unbroken.

Wow, I had never sensed something like this before. It was amazing. It was like I could fly and jump for cloud to cloud without falling. This feeling inside of me made me heat up and shiver at the same time. Those eyes, that beautiful smile; it took my breath away a couple of times. Dear God, was this the feeling that I had been searching for? Was this love at first sight?

This couldn't be true. Now that I was engaged, I might have found the man of my dreams. Couldn't he have met me two weeks ago? Then it would have been so easy. Then I would have gladly married him. But now I was promised to someone else. Suddenly I felt that we had stopped dancing and I looked up. My prince was staring at me and he looked very worried.

"Is everything alright, my dear?"

Oh, that sounded so good ,coming from his mouth. I wanted to answer but somehow I just couldn't get it over my heart to say it. He frowned at me. Even, with a mask on, I could see that.  
He grabbed me again by the hand and guided me outside the ballroom. One side of my mind was telling me that this wasn't a good idea. I shouldn't follow this man. But the other side was screaming that I had to stop thinking and let it come. My mystery guy took me to the second floor and opened there one of the doors. This was the entrance to one of the many bedrooms in this house. Once inside he closed the door and let me take place on the massive bed in the middle of the chamber.

"Here we will not be disturbed. Now, tell me. What is wrong?"  
I stared at him but still I couldn't speak. Instead I started to shake my head a few times.

"What? Please talk to me. I'm worried about you."

"This can't." I finally pronounced.

"What can't?"

"This" I said while waving my hand between us.  
This wasn't the time to run around the bush. He stared very intensely at me and then sighed.

"I know." he whispered.  
I looked up from my lap and glanced confused at him.

"You know?"

"Well, I have to be honest with you. I'm engaged."  
A shockwave went through my entire body. He was engaged. Then why did he take me here?

"If you're engaged, then why…?"

"I don't know. This wasn't my intension in the beginning. I was supposed to marry my fiancé and become happy. I was determined to keep my promise. But then you entered the room and all the air was taking away from my longs. All the other guests were vanished the moment I saw you. You were so beautiful. At first it was your gracefulness and smile that charmed me. But when you stood so close to me, I saw your brown eyes and I knew that I was lost. In a blink of an eye, I broke down."  
Oh, I was in such big trouble.

"And now I know that I can't keep my promise anymore. It is you that captivated my heart. You are the one that melted this ice around me. I don't want to go back."

He then took his mask off and looked at me. He was gorgeous. Forest green eyes, high cheekbones, a strong jawline and a straight nose. He extended his arms and carefully removed my mask as well. I hoped that he wouldn't be disappointed with my appearance. But when he saw me, I could hear hem gasp so that was probably a good sign. Then he took my hands in his and placed them above his heart. I felt it beating hard against his chest and it equally matched mine.  
He was giving me the choice. Keep my promise to my parents and my fiancé or throw all my obligations out of the window and give myself to the man of my dreams for one night. The choice wasn't so hard to make.

"I don't want to go back either."

He stared back in my eyes and I could see that his pupils was dilated and the green had become just a bit more darker.

"Are you sure? I don't want you breaking your promises because of me."

"No, I'm absolutely sure. This is my only moment for true happiness and I will not let it slip out my hands."

He released my hands and placed one of his on my cheek. He looked me in the eyes and then let them roam down to my lips. Very slowly he came closer and I closed my eyes in anticipation. And then I felt something soft caressing my lips and carefully I kissed his lips back. I pressed my body closer to his, waving my hands in his bronze hair and he took me in his arms. We stayed like this for a while, just giving each other sweets kisses. And it felt so good.

The softness of his lips was almost not bearable. It felt so great. So I let myself go a bit further and traced with my tongue the curves of his lips. He immediately responded and opened his mouth just a little more so that I could enter. That was an even better sensation. I was so enjoying this. But then I felt him starting to open my dress. My first reaction was to stop him. So I loosened my hands out of his hair and stopped his ministrations on my dress. He glanced at me and slowly kissed me on the lips.

"Don't worry. Everything will be all right. You just need to trust me."

And that was something I would definitely do. Therefore I released his hands and began my own work on his outfit. My part of the job was much easier than his part. The dress was rather easy removed. But while I had already removed his coat and shirts, he was still struggling with my corset. I had told you that corsets weren't useful things. He growled and I stilled his hands. I kissed him in the neck and when I reached his ear I whispered: "Don't pull. Let me do it."

He calmed down and while I worked with my corset he peppered my neck with little kisses. After some work I managed to open my corset and I let it fall down, exposing myself to him. He once again gasped at the sight and carefully placed his hands on my breasts. He pinched them softly and I moaned at the contact. God, this was so great and I knew that this was just the beginning.  
He carefully placed me down on the mattress and kissed me all over my chest. He kissed me first in the neck to my collarbone and finally arrived at my breasts. He nibbled on my left breast while massaging the other one. I kept my hands in his hair while I tried to contain my moans. For the next couple of minutes he alternated between my breasts while I kept my hands in his hair and kept caressing his locks. I had the hardest time to contain my moans. He was doing such wonderful things to my body.

"Ohh, that feels so good."

"You like it?"

"Oh, yes. Please… don't stop." I moaned.  
Instead of going back to my breasts he wandered further down, kissing every piece of skin he came across until he arrived at my panties. Now was the big moment. He hesitated a moment, not sure what to do. But I was sure.

"Please, I need you."

He smirked at me and hooked his fingers into my panties and pulled them in one swift motion down my legs. I was now completely naked in front of him. And although I wanted this so badly, I still felt ashamed. So I closed my eyes and tried to close my legs too. But then I felt his body gliding over mine. And that wasn't the only thing that I felt. In the meanwhile he had removed his trousers and now he was hovering above me naked. I felt his cheek against mine and his lips subtle touched my ear.

"Don't be ashamed of your body. You look absolutely stunning."

I kissed him hard on the lips then, just to get my nerves down. Then he pressed my legs slightly apart and placed himself between them. He broke the kiss and looked me deep in the eyes.  
"Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready." I whispered softly.

And with my permission he pushed himself in my entrance. My eyes went wide and I took a hold of his shoulders. It was painful to have him inside me. But after a while the pain submitted and it was replaced with a feeling of completeness. So I started to kiss him again and in response he started to move very slowly.  
At first it wasn't totally comfortable but then this kind of fire inside of me was staring to build and I had the hardest time to control my breath. God, this was really beginning to feel so good. I moaned with every trust he gave me and I returned every one. Soon we had found our rhythm and the sensation inside was almost becoming too much. I was close, I could feel it.

"Ohh, I... I'm almost... there." I managed to get out.

"Then come… for me. I'm… there too." he whispered back and increased the pace just a little bit more.  
That made me go over the edge and I got my very first orgasm ever. And it felt heavenly. Just seconds later he came also and emptied himself inside of me. Then It was completely silent except for our heavy breathings and the music downstairs.

After we calmed down, I snuggled into his side and placed my head on his chest. We remained silent for a while but then something occurred to me.

"I still don't know your name."  
He sighed and caressed my arm.

"Maybe it's better that you don't know my name or I yours. I just want to remember you as a person. I want to remember a face and not a name."

"I understand. This was just one moment and I have no regrets about it."

"Me neither." he whispered and then lifted my chin up and sealed his lips with mine.

…

I woke up the next day all alone in a cold, way too big bed. After my encounter with my prince charming I went to the room that was assigned to me by Mrs. Cullen. It was also a very nice room but it felt cold and lonely. I missed him so much. He was really the perfect men, my equal in every way. I was convinced of that. But I had to forget him. He was probably already gone, back to his own house. I had to bury my grief and concentrate on today's job. Today was the day that I would meet my fiancé. But I wasn't looking forward to it. 10 minutes after I woke up, my mother entered my room and helped me to get dressed. While she was combing my hair she gazed amused at me in the mirror and giggled.

"What is it, mother? Why are you laughing?"

"Oh, I just can't believe that my little girl is going to marry soon. You will be such a beauty of a bride. And together with Edward, you will be the perfect couple."

"Yeah, we will." I sighed.

I would never be fully happy. My perfect guy had left me last night. After my hair was done, I pulled my green dress on and followed my mother downstairs. My dad was already present in the now empty ballroom together with Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. Somewhere in the back I saw another person. A tall men with what looked like some sort of brown hair. But I couldn't see his face because he stood with his back to me, staring out of the window. That was probably my fiancé and he clearly wasn't happy with this arrangement. I entered the room with my mother and I was welcome by Mrs. Cullen.

"Good morning my dear. Did you sleep well."

"Yes, Madame. I slept very well. Thank you."

"Well. I think you're very nervous to see your further husband. Well, let's not keep you longer in suspense. Edward, come here and please greet your fiancé."

Mr. and Mrs. Cullen took a step back and the guy in the corner turned himself to me. The moment I saw his face, I thought that I was going to die. I just couldn't breathe anymore. There in the corner of the room stood my mystery guy. The same guy that I had met last night and had made love to. This was unbelievable and just amazing. He was just as surprised as me because his mouth almost hanged on the floor and his eyes were wide open. I smiled at him and ran as fast as I could to him. He came also out of his trance and caught me in the middle of the room.

He twisted me several times around and when he placed me back on the floor, he grabbed my face between his hands and kissed me hard and passionate on the lips. God, this was so incredible. My prayers had been answered. I had found the love of my life and would live happily. That love that you normally would find in novels, I found in reality. And I couldn't be more happier.

He eventually broke the kiss only out of need for oxygen. He still had his hands on my cheeks and he kept caressing them while smiling like a fool, just like me. Our parents were absolutely stunned by our strange behavior. But after the first initial shock, my father coughed and looked really pleased with us.

"Well, I told you that everything would end well."  
And it did, it definitely did.

* * *

**Hey. I hope you all like it. **  
**Just for information: they lived happily and forever and had three wonderful children. Two girls and one boy. Bella stayed at home with the children and loved every second of it. And their parents never found out how they really met.**  
**Please leave your comments and tell me if you liked it or not.  
****Please review!**

**XXXX  
VampireGirl Avia **


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